Through the Looking Glass, Part I: Becoming
by Dark Jedi Princess
Summary: SG1 open their first nine chevron wormhole and get more than they bargained for when they end up in the middle of a world war, with no way of going home. But it’s not like they’d leave without helping. That would go against their conscience. SG1&AtLA. AU
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:**_ Avatar: the Last Airbender_ belongs to Michael Dante Dimartino and Bryan Konietzko. _Stargate SG-1_ belongs to Roland Emmerich, Dean Devlin, Brad Wright, and Jonathan Glassner. I'm just borrowing their characters and playing with them. I'll return them… erm, slightly undamaged?

**Author's Note:** Ever since I first saw AtLA, this idea has been swimming around in my head. Since my muses can't seem to shoo the Plot Gizka away, we're going ahead with it.

So. Welcome to what is probably the world's first Avatar/Stargate crossover. I'm still in the process of planning this as I write it. What I do know is that it will be a three-parter, with the last two parts taking place mostly on Earth. And it will be majorly AU.

Also, most of the chapters will be written to match a FanFic100 prompt. Or, more accurately, Crossovers100.

So. Enjoy the prologue and first chapter.  
**::Dark Jedi Princess::**

**Title: **"Through the Looking Glass, Part I: Becoming"  
**Author:** Dark Jedi Princess  
**Category:** Crossovers/Stargate SG-1/Avatar: the Last Airbender  
**Genre:** Action/Adventure/Suspense/Fantasy/Science Fiction  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Reasons:** Violence and some language  
**Timeframe:** Mid-Season 7 (SG-1), "Crossroads of Destiny" onwards (AtLA—SPOILERS)  
**Summary: **SG-1 open their first nine-chevron wormhole and get more than they bargained for when they end up in the middle of a world war, with no way of going home. But it's not like they'd leave without helping. That would go against their conscience. Part 1 of 3.  
**Pairings:** Katara/Aang, implied Jack/Sam, implied Dan/Jan.

**TEXT KEY**  
Narrative  
_Thoughts/Intro/Song Lyrics_  
"Spoken"  
**Words on a screen/Handwritten on a page**  
Stressed/Emphasized Word(s)  
"RAISED VOICE/YELLING"  
_ONOMOTOPOEIA_

_**Through the Looking Glass, Part I: Becoming  
Prologue**_

_Water. Earth. Fire. Air._

_I once found legends of another world where the people could control the four Elements. I used to think they were only stories... until my friends and I opened a gate to that world._

_Now my whole world has changed. I have to learn the Elements too. And I have to help save their world... because I can't, in good conscience, leave it without helping them._

* * *

Pain split through Zuko's arm as the Dai Li agents threw him down a long hole. He had landed on his right bicep. It hurt. A lot. 

"You've got a cellmate," one of them remarked, before Earthbending the entrance closed.

Zuko sat up, dazed. The cave was lit dimly by jade crystals. And sitting at the other end of the cave was a young, dark-skinned woman with long, braided brown hair. He knew her. _She's one of the Avatar's friends._

"Zuko," she snarled, upon turning around and seeing him.


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:**_ Avatar: the Last Airbender_ belongs to Michael Dante Dimartino and Bryan Konietzko. _Stargate SG-1_ belongs to Roland Emmerich, Dean Devlin, Brad Wright, and Jonathan Glassner. I'm just borrowing their characters and playing with them. I'll return them… erm, slightly undamaged?

**TEXT KEY**  
Narrative  
_Thoughts/Intro/Song Lyrics_  
"Spoken"  
**Words on a screen/Handwritten on a page**  
Stressed/Emphasized Word(s)  
"RAISED VOICE/YELLING"  
_ONOMOTOPOEIA_

_**Through the Looking Glass, Part I: Becoming  
Chapter 1**_

"_A clouded dream on an earthly night  
Hangs upon the crescent moon  
A voiceless song in an ageless light  
Sings out the call of dawn  
Birds in flight are calling there  
Where the heart moves the stones  
There that my heart is longing for  
All for the love of you_"  
—"The Mystic's Dream", Loreena McKennitt

Daniel Jackson yawned loudly as he walked into his lab on the 19th sub-level of the Cheyenne Mountain Complex. The previous night had been restless, filled with dreams of a war in a far off, probably-imaginary world.

People had died in that dream. Thousands of them. Geomancer(1) soldiers, dressed in green oriental-style robes, were repeatedly struck down by pyromancer(2) warriors in white skull-like masks and red and black armour.

And there had been one boy, no older than twelve, his head shaven and tattooed with a long, blue-white arrow, dressed in orange and yellow, who had stuck out at him. This boy lay in the arms of a young girl in blue, who cried as she realized he might not wake up.

The boy had been struck by lightning—Daniel knew this because at the moment the boy and girl had appeared together, he'd seen a woman with pitch black hair and yellow eyes strike him down with lightning from her fingertips—and it felt as though if the boy died, everything else would die with him.

Daniel pushed the dream from his conscious mind and sat down at his desk, his hand briefly passing over a jug of water sitting there. At first he thought he saw the water literally rise out of the jug to follow his hand, but when he checked, the water was perfectly still. Passing it off as a trick of the light, or as simple sleepiness, Daniel pulled a pile of photos over to him.

The photos were from SG-10's most recent mission. They'd discovered a large temple they thought had belonged to the System Lord Yu, and wanted Daniel's translation of the Chinese-like script painted into the murals on the walls.

Along with the photos, SG-10 had brought back some artifacts they'd found. One was a tightly bound scroll, which Daniel decided to look at first. Scanning the page, his mouth dropped open as he saw something he'd never even thought about before.

_Nine-chevron travel? I need to find Sam._

* * *

"Sam?" 

"What's up, Daniel?"

Sam Carter twisted around in her seat in front of one of the computers in the Observation Room at the SGC. Daniel stood behind her, his hands tucked into his pockets. "Well, you know how we opened a connection to another galaxy with eight chevrons when Jack got the knowledge of the Ancients put into his head?"

"Yeah?"

"Any idea what would happen if we used nine chevrons?"

Sam thought it over for a moment. "Well… if eight chevrons allows us to travel to other galaxies, one could conclude that nine chevrons allows travel to alternate realities," she said, slowly.

"…Wow. The Ancients would be more advanced than I thought if that were the case," Daniel muttered.

"Yeah, I wish we'd have a chance to test that theory, but—"

"Uh, Major?" One of the 'Gate techs said, uncertainly. "I think we may have that chance. Come look at this."

Sam and Daniel went over to the tech's station. The tech pointed at his screen, where a 'Gate address with nine symbols was displayed.

"…When did that get there?" Sam asked, bewildered.

"I don't know. I was looking through them, and I spotted it, and… Well, I heard you and Dr. Jackson talking about nine-chevron travel, so…"

Sam and Daniel looked at each other. "What if this was one of the addresses Jack programmed in when he had the knowledge of the Ancients?" Daniel suggested.

"Somehow I doubt it, but it's possible," Sam said, shrugging. "The other possibility is that this was recently programmed in… Maybe we had an Ancient in here and weren't aware of them. I mean, Ascended beings can be invisible, right?"

"Yeah, of course, the only question is… why? They're not allowed to interfere."

Sam shook her head. "We have to get General Hammond. This could be a… a wonderful opportunity." She hurried off to retrieve the General. Daniel arched an eyebrow, then leaned against a wall.

Sam returned moments later with the General in tow. Hammond examined the address, then ordered a meeting in the briefing room—after much coaxing from Sam, of course. Daniel and Sam followed him up there, soon joined by Jack and Teal'c.

"Major," General Hammond said, as soon as everyone was settled, "we've previously been dialing seven-chevron addresses, and, in one case, an eight-chevron. The eighth chevron required a huge power boost in order to establish a connection. If we dial a nine-chevron address, we could cut off the entire base's power. And we don't know exactly where we'd be sending you."

"Sir, that's what the MALPs are for, and we can install extra generators," Sam said. "This is the opportunity of a life time. We'll get to see one of the alternate realities that almost surely exist. It's our only nine-chevron address. We should explore it when we get the chance, and… well, sir, we have the chance."

"Hold it," Jack said. "How did it get there?"

"That's part of what I'm worried about," General Hammond said, quietly. "It could've been put there with malicious intent."

"Which is what the probe is for, sir," Sam reiterated. "We send the probe through first to see if there's any immediate threat, or maybe a UAV. If everything looks okay, we can go through and explore further."

"Sam's right," Daniel said, "this is the opportunity of a life time."

Hammond sighed. "Alright. But if anything looks suspicious, we lock the address out of the computer."

* * *

"Looks okay so far," Sam muttered, tapping several keys on the computer. Weeks after their initial briefing on the nine-chevron address, the SGC had had new power generators installed and prepared for a potential trip to an alternate reality. Now, Sam controlled the UAV they had just sent through the Stargate. Currently she was carefully navigating it through a large, stone temple, where the Stargate let out. Finally, it shot out of the temple and into a range of enormous mountains. 

"Wow," Sam breathed, as the UAV soared through the range and out over a sparkling ocean. The world's sun was setting rapidly, turning the sky red, orange, and yellow. "It's..."

"Beautiful," Daniel said. Something about the images drew him to that world, as though he needed to be there. He reached out and touched the screen gently. "I feel like... I've been there before..." He muttered. Sam arched an eyebrow.

"It looks safe, sir," Sam said after a moment, the UAV now soaring over smaller, grassier mountains. "Our only problem will be getting down the mountains, and that shouldn't be too tough if we bring climbing gear."

Hammond nodded. "Alright SG-1... you have a go."

* * *

"Iiiii'm still not sure about this," Jack said, anxiously, as they stood in front of the Stargate, preparing to step through. 

"Jaaack," Daniel chided quietly. "This is—"

"I know, I know, the opportunity of a lifetime," Jack said, rolling his eyes. "Let's just... get this over with." They marched up the ramp and stepped through the wormhole, emerging on the other side into bitterly cold mountain air.

Daniel shuddered, a pain ripping at his forehead. Sam turned to him, worried; he barely heard her call his name, his vision whiting out rapidly.

"Daniel?!"

Quite abruptly, all four were flung away in opposite directions, and the whole world went black.

* * *

**Footnotes:**

(1) Geomancer: a being capable of manipulating the element of Earth at will.

(2) Pyromancer: a being capable of manipulating the element of Fire at will.

(The other two would be Hydromancer (Water) and Aeromancer (Air), if anyone's wondering. :))


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:**_Avatar: the Last Airbender_ belongs to Michael Dante Dimartino and Bryan Konietzko. _Stargate SG-1_ belongs to Roland Emmerich, Dean Devlin, Brad Wright, and Jonathan Glassner. I'm just borrowing their characters and playing with them. I'll return them… erm, slightly undamaged? ;;

**TEXT KEY**  
Narrative  
_Thoughts/Intro/Song Lyrics_  
"Spoken"  
**Words on a screen/Handwritten on a page**  
Stressed/Emphasized Word(s)  
"RAISED VOICE/YELLING"  
_ONOMOTOPOEIA_

_**Through the Looking Glass, Part I: Becoming  
Chapter 2**_

"_All I know is that I'm here  
Drifting somewhere in the vast  
Somewhere in eternity  
And I never want to leave_"  
-"Here", VAST

"...Is he okay?" A soft voice said. Daniel groaned, opening his eyes. Everything was blurry and fractured, and there was a sharp pain on the side of his head. Reaching up to his face, he removed his glasses and saw that the lenses had shattered; there were several droplets of blood on the broken pieces of plastic. He sat up, slowly.

"He's awake!" The same voice said. A girl with dark skin and hair, dressed in blue, ran over to him. "Hold still for a moment..."

Daniel blinked as she knelt and unscrewed the canteen he'd brought with him and somehow gathered water around her hand. _She looks familiar, but... I can't place from where..._ She touched the cut on the side of his head, and the pain faded, slowly, the wound mending itself. The water slithered back into his canteen, seemingly of its own accord, and she screwed the cap back on.

"Sorry about that, I don't have my water skin with me..." the girl said. "Feel better?"

"...Yeah," Daniel said, somewhat amazed. "Who are you?"

"My name's Katara," she answered. "You hit one of the jade crystals when you flew in here. Must've hurt."

"I... don't remember that, I must've blacked out," Daniel said slowly. "Where are we?"

"Beneath Ba Sing Se, as far as I know," Katara responded, quietly. "Your friend's been awake for a little while, but she was knocked out too."

Daniel didn't ask what Ba Sing Se was. Translated from Cantonese, he knew it meant "Unconquerable City". Instead he turned his attention to Sam. "Sam?"

"I'm here, Daniel," Sam's voice said, off to his right. Sam leaned against one of the rock walls of the cave they had somehow managed to get into.

"What happened?"

"Uh... You fainted on us. Next thing I know, we're here."

"Jack and Teal'c?"

"Not here. We must've been separated."

"Is there anyone else here?" Daniel asked Katara.

"Just the selfish jerk in the corner," Katara said, bitterly, pointing at the figure of a young, black-haired man with his back turned to them. "His name's Zuko. Don't expect to get much out of him, he's been ignoring us for a bit."

"You don't like him very much, do you?"

"No, I don't," Katara muttered angrily. "He's been chasing after one of my best friends just so..." She sighed. "Never mind, it's complicated. Your friend said you know nothing about this world, so... it's hard to explain."

"I doubt we'll be going anywhere soon," Daniel said.

Katara frowned. "Well... There are four nations: The Water Tribes, the Earth Kingdom, the Fire Nation, and the Air Nomads. Some people, like... like me and Zuko, can control one of the four Elements. They're called Benders. I'm a Waterbender, and Zuko's a Firebender. The Avatar's the only person on the planet who can control all four Elements." She paused. "Still keeping up?"

"Yeah, go on."

"Well... the Fire Nation's been waging a war against the other three nations for the last hundred years. Zuko's father is the ruler of the Fire Nation, and... Zuko's been hunting Aang, the current Avatar... Aang's also my best friend. If the Fire Lord captures him... it's all over. They've won. And that means the end of the rest of us."

Zuko twisted his head a little in their direction. Daniel caught sight of dark, burned tissue around his left ear and eye. Zuko flinched and looked away again.

Daniel frowned, then decided to take a gamble. "How did you get that scar, Zuko?"

Zuko flinched visibly and turned to stare at Daniel. His eyes were golden yellow, and his unburned skin was pale. He wore green and earth-toned clothes, which Daniel thought was odd; red was usually the colour associated with fire.

"...My father burned and disowned me when I was 13," Zuko said, reluctantly. "He said I was without honour and the only way I could restore it was by capturing the Avatar." His voice was tenor-pitched and somewhat hoarse.

Katara rolled her eyes. "See? That's why I hate him. He's been chasing us all over the world for months."

"Not recently, I haven't," Zuko corrected, sounding annoyed.

"Then what were you doing in Ba Sing Se?!" Katara demanded.

"My Uncle and I are exiles!" Zuko said, standing up and rising to his full height. "Refugees! We had nowhere else to go! We're wanted by our own people now!"

"Well, what did you expect me to think?!" Katara returned. "That you had given up? You're too belligerent to give up! You just wouldn't leave us alone! You're arrogant, a—and spoiled, and selfish! I think of the enemy, and I see your face!"

"Whoa, whoa," Sam said, standing up. "Calm down, Katara, this isn't helping."

"If you hate me so much, why did you offer to heal my Uncle when we were all attacked by Azula in that town?!" Zuko demanded.

"Because at least your Uncle is reasonable!" Katara said. "You should listen to him sometimes, your whole NATION should."

"I do listen to him" Zuko retorted, his hands curling into fists. "He's the only real family I have left." Flames sparked at his hands briefly.

"Guys, calm down!" Daniel said, loudly. Both quieted. "Katara... is... is there another reason?"

Katara remained silent for several moments before turning and sitting down, hugging her knees. "...The Fire Nation killed my mother. They took her away from me."

"...That's something you and I have in common," Zuko admitted, quietly. "My mother's been missing for six years. She just... up and left, the night my grandfather died. I never knew what happened to her."

Katara's eyes widened. Daniel thought he saw pity in her face. "...I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I didn't..."

"Look, let's just set this aside for now," Daniel said. "We need to get out of here. Sam, check for—"

"Exits?" Zuko finished for him. "Only way out is up there." He pointed almost straight up, to a small chute near the ceiling carved out of the rock. "And unless one of you is an Earthbender, I doubt we'll be getting it open."

"Could blow it open," Sam suggested.

"There's no way we'll be able to throw a grenade up there," Daniel said. "It'll drop back down to us before it reaches the exit. You know the laws of physics better than anyone, Sam."

"But they could be different here," Sam noted. "That's part of the definition of an alternate universe."

Daniel sighed and raked a hand through his hair. "Toss a grenade up there, but don't remove the pin."

Sam nodded and removed a grenade from her vest, standing and throwing it as hard as she could up the tunnel in the ceiling. It almost reached the sealed opening before succumbing to gravity and falling back to the ground. It rolled over to Zuko, who picked it up and examined it.

"What is it?"

"An explosive device," Sam said, simply.

Zuko nodded slowly, then handed the grenade back to Sam, who tucked it back into her pocket. "My Uncle knows I was captured," he said, quietly. "If the Avatar is in Ba Sing Se, Uncle may have sought his help."

"He has a name, you know," Katara snapped. "And Aang left the city. He had to train with a guru. Toph could make her way down here, but she's with her mother right now."

"Is there a chance Aang knows you're here?" Sam asked.

"He thought I was—well... actually, yeah, he probably does know. Weird stuff happens around him."

"So he probably would've found a way back to the city, right?" Daniel said.

"He wouldn't sit by if I was in trouble," Katara replied, soberly.

* * *

Jack awoke to find his hands tightly bound behind his back with thick, itchy rope. Teal'c sat against his back, conscious but not moving. "Teal'c?" 

"We appear to have been captured, O'Neill," Teal'c responded.

Jack blinked. They were on a beach, leaning against a high cliff. It was night, and the sky was perfectly clear. "Wait a sec, wasn't the Stargate in a temple in the mountains? How the hell did we get onto a beach?"

"I do not know," Teal'c said, quietly.

Quite abruptly, a metal, bladed boomerang embedded itself in the rock just above Jack's head.

"Quiet, you two!" Said a young man with dark skin, dressed in a blue tunic and trousers. His head was mostly shaved, save for a band of dark hair at the top, pulled back into a tight ponytail.

"Uh…." Jack began, awkwardly. "Think you could untie us?"

The young man scurried up to them and retrieved the boomerang. "You kidding? We don't know you! For all we know, you could be Fire Nation spies. Probably are, since those weapons you were carrying were downright WEIRD."

Teal'c and Jack exchanged looks. "Look… We're just…" Jack paused. "Teal'c, where're Daniel and Sam?"

"They are not present, O'Neill. It seems we were separated."

Jack sighed, exasperated. "Okay, look, uh…"

"Sokka," The young man said, dryly.

"…Sokka. We're explorers, okay? We came here to establish peaceful contact."

"Then why the projectile weapons?" Sokka asked, pointing at the pile of their equipment off to the right.

"…Self-defense."

"…Right," Sokka said. "That's a pretty thin story."

"It's not a story, it's the truth," Jack snapped. "We've lost our friends, Daniel Jackson and Sam Carter. We need to find them before we go home."

"They're not here," Sokka replied immediately. "You two were the only ones who showed up. And I'm not about to let you go. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some Firebenders to get rid of." He started to walk off, but stopped as a large, six-legged, horned bison landed next to him. Sitting at the bison's neck was a young boy, no older than twelve, dressed in orange and yellow. A blue arrowhead tattoo adorned his head, and he carried a wooden staff in one hand.

"…I'm not gonna like this, am I?" Sokka stated, quietly.

"Katara's in trouble," the boy said, quietly.

Sokka glanced back to a man who appeared to be his father, who made a gesture as though telling him to go ahead and leave. Sokka climbed on top of the bison. "Let's go," he said, quietly.

"Hold on! Wait!" Jack shouted. "We can help!"

"That I doubt," Sokka said, scathingly. "Aang, let's go."

"Wait," Aang said. "How can you help?"

"Depends, what kind of trouble is your friend in?" Jack asked.

"I saw her chained up and screaming," Aang replied, quietly. "There were two other people with her as well… I caught a name, I think one of them was called… Daniel?"

"We know him! And we've busted people out of prison before. Untie us, we can help!" Jack said, almost frantically.

"Aang—" Sokka began.

"Untie them," Aang said, quietly.

Sokka sighed, slid off the bison, and untied the ropes binding their wrists. "No sudden moves," he warned, before climbing back on top of the bison. Teal'c and Jack retrieved their gear and joined them.

"Appa, yip yip!" Aang said. With a sudden lurch, the bison leapt into the air, and they were soaring off north.

"Holy crap!" Jack yelled, clinging tightly to Appa.

"Never flown before?" Aang called back to them.

"Not on a giant bison, no!" Jack yelled back. "Where're we going?"

"Ba Sing Se. That's where Katara was last."

"Hey, what's that big cloud of dust?" Sokka called, pointing downwards, where there was indeed a large cloud of dust making its way towards a long wall. Appa banked towards it at Aang's direction. Jack's eyes went wide as he saw a young girl, no older than Aang was, dressed in green and white and seemingly skating on two large mounds of earth.

"Toph!" Aang called. "Get on!" Appa flew beside her, and Sokka held out his arm for Toph to grasp. She climbed on Appa's back with them, the mounds of earth crumbling back to the ground. They then flew off over the wall.

"…This place is officially weird," Jack said, after a moment.

The flight lasted for another few minutes before they landed in the courtyard of a large, oriental-style palace. Toph, Aang, and Sokka slid off of Appa's back and hurried into the palace. After a moment, Jack and Teal'c followed. When they caught up with the three teenagers, they were talking to a young man with a pair of small spectacles perched on his nose.

"—'s fine," he was saying. "She met with the Council of Five to plan the invasion, and ever since then she's been with your friends, the Kyoshi Warriors."

"See?" Sokka said. "They're probably hanging out at the apartment right now, discussing... makeup, or something."

Aang still looked uneasy. "O—okay. Thanks anyway."

Minutes later, they were inside said apartment, which turned out to be a one-room house. The apartment was, of course, completely empty.

"...There's no-one else here," Toph stated quietly.

"I knew it," Aang said. "She is in trouble."

"...Wait," Toph said, suddenly. "There's someone at the door."

Sure enough, a knock sounded just after she said this. Jack raised an eyebrow.

"Actually, I know who it is. He's an old friend."

Jack's eyebrows rose further as she slid the door open to reveal a rotund man with long grey hair, dressed in green and yellow. "I need your help," he said, soberly.

Sokka and Aang leapt back in shock.

"You guys know each other?!" Sokka exclaimed, after a moment of tense silence.

"I ran into him in the woods," Toph explained. "Then he gave me tea and some really good advice."

The man smiled a little. "May I come in?"

Toph nodded and beckoned him inside, then slid the door shut behind him. The man wasted no time in explaining himself.

"Princess Azula is in Ba Sing Se," he said, succinctly.

"She must have Katara," Aang deduced immediately.

"She has my nephew as well," The man said.

"So not the stereotypical damsel-in-distress princess," Jack commented. The man glanced at him, arching an eyebrow.

"My niece is cruel, decisive, and domineering," he said after a moment. "Her father has taught her well."

"Her father being your brother," Jack said.

The man nodded. "Ozai is much the same."

Aang glanced between the two. "Oh, right you guys haven't met... this is Iroh. He's—"

"The Fire Lord's older brother," Iroh finished.

"We're explorers," Jack replied, for the umpteenth time that day. "I'm Jack, this is Teal'c."

Iroh smiled sadly. "I wish we were meeting under more pleasant circumstances."

"Iroh," Aang said, "I had a vision about Katara, but I also saw two other people with her. Is it possible Azula captured them, too?"

"I didn't see anyone else when she took Zuko," Iroh said, "But it's not outside the realm of possibility."

Aang nodded. "Okay then, it's settled. We'll work together to find and rescue Katara and Zuko. And maybe we'll find Jack and Teal'c's friends along the way."

"Whoa, hold on!" Sokka objected, scurrying up to Aang. "You lost me at 'Zuko'. Why are we even considering working with him?!"

"Because we're stronger together than we are apart," Aang said, almost sternly. Sokka frowned deeply.

"Alright. A temporary truce! Only until we find Katara and Zuko."

Iroh smirked a little. "Good. I brought someone who might be able to help us." He led them back outside the apartment, where a man in black and dark green was bound and gagged. Toph reacted instantly, stomping her foot on the ground and jerking her hands upward. Two slabs of rock pinned the man in place. Iroh then removed the gag.

"Azula and Long Feng are planning a coup," the man said instantly, a frantic note to his voice. "She's going to depose the king and the Council of Five."

"My sister?! Where are they holding Katara?!" Sokka demanded, brandishing his boomerang at him.

"In the crystal catacombs below the city," the man answered. "Please don't hurt me!"

Jack stepped forward. "Do you know if another man and woman were with her?" He asked. "Their names are Daniel and Sam."

"N—No, but that doesn't mean they aren't there… Who knows who else that crazy woman trapped down there…"

Jack and Teal'c exchanged looks. Toph stomped her foot and jerked her hands again, and the man was encased in a third slab of rock. She then knelt and placed a hand on the ground.

"Well whaddya know," she said. "There is an underground city down there. It's deep. You'll need an Earthbender to get down there."

Sokka nodded. "Okay. Iroh, Jack, Teal'c, and Aang will go down and look for Katara and the Angry Jerk. Uh, no offense."

"None taken," Iroh responded lightly.

"...And me and Toph will go warn the Earth King about Azula's coup," Sokka finished.

The group nodded, and they set off in their different directions.

* * *

The next several hours (or so it seemed to Jack) found them traipsing through a long tunnel that Aang had been digging, seemingly through simple hand motions. The motions, circular in nature, mimicked pushing something, and every time he did it, a large amount of earth pushed itself backwards. Jack didn't comment on it, not wanting to distract the boy. Teal'c, as usual, maintained his vigilant silence. 

Iroh, walking beside Aang, had a flickering orange flame cupped in his hand. In the dim settings, it only provided a certain amount of light, but with the addition of Jack and Teal'c flashlights, it was enough.

After several long moments of silence, Aang finally spoke. "So… Toph thinks you give good advice," he said, apprehensively. Then he added, brightly, "and great tea."

Iroh chuckled. "The key to both is proper aging. What's on your mind?"

Jack listened quietly while Aang and Iroh talked. He hoped he could gain some idea of what was going on, because he was hopelessly lost.

"Power and perfection are overrated," Iroh told Aang, who smiled a little. "I think you are very wise to choose happiness and love."

"I just… I'm worried about this whole thing with Azula, and Zuko and Katara. I'm not sure if I'll be strong enough without the Avatar State to stop Azula. But… I just can't let Katara go. Not like that."

"I don't know the answer," Iroh said, sounding remorseful. "Sometimes… life is like this long tunnel. You can't always see the light at the end of the tunnel, but if you keep moving…"

As he said this, Aang made one final pushing motion with his hands, and the earth suddenly flew outwards, leaving an opening into a cavernous cave, lit dimly by glowing green crystals. A small canal of water flowed through the chamber. Iroh smiled a little.

"…You will come to a better place," he finished.

"Great, we're here," Jack said. "Any idea where we can find them?" He switched off his flashlight, and Teal'c followed suit; though the lighting was dim, it was still enough to see by. The flame in Iroh's hand flickered out as well.

"Might as well start somewhere," Aang said. "Come on." He ran out into the chamber and jumped the canal. Iroh, Jack and Teal'c followed at a slightly slower pace.

"O'Neill," Teal'c said, "what if DanielJackson and Major Carter are not here?"

Jack didn't want to think about it. "Back to square one, I guess…"

* * *

Neither Daniel nor Sam knew how much time had passed since they had woken up in the cavern with Katara and Zuko, and they were only just beginning to wonder about this. The four sat in silence, each leaning against a different wall of the cavern. Zuko looked as though he was about to fall asleep, though he also seemed to be willing himself to stay awake. Katara appeared anxious, twisting at a lock of brown hair that looped back to the long braid running down her back. 

Daniel let his head fall back against the wall with a soft _THUMP_. His eyes and head ached, most likely because he wasn't wearing his glasses. He was tired as well, and nearly dozed of before abruptly being brought back to full consciousness by a minor earthquake. All four sat up.

"What was that?" Sam asked.

Moments later, the wall behind her exploded, tossing her halfway across the room. She landed on her side, groaning and indignant.

A young boy stood in the resulting hole, dressed in orange and yellow, bald, and with arrowhead tattoos on his head and hands.

_Wait a sec,_ Daniel thought, realization dawning on him. _That's the boy from my dream, the one who was struck by lightning!_

"Aang!" Katara yelled, sounding incredibly relieved. She ran up and hugged him fiercely. Aang returned the hug, but glared over Katara's shoulder at Zuko. A rotund man with long, gray hair ran past Aang and embraced Zuko.

"Uncle," Zuko said, sounding halfway surprised and halfway relieved. "What are you doing with the Avatar?!"

"Saving you, that's what!" Aang responded for Zuko's Uncle, anger clearly present in his tone."

Zuko started to lunge for him, but his uncle held him back. "Zuko," he said, "stop." He turned to Sam and offered an arm. "You must be Colonel O'Neill's friends. He's right behind us."

"Oh thank God," Daniel said, rising to his feet. At that moment, Jack and Teal'c stepped through the hole, Jack waving airborne dust aside.

"Whew," he said. "Oh, good, you're here," he amended upon seeing Daniel and Sam. "Come on, let's get out of here. This place is weird…"

Zuko's uncle motioned for the group to get going. "Go on, Aang, help your other friends. We'll be along shortly."

"Uncle--!" Zuko protested.

His uncle silenced him. "You too," he told Daniel and Sam. "Go with your friends."

Sam gladly obliged, heading over to where Jack and Teal'c stood. Daniel hesitated.

"Daniel, come on," Jack urged. "Let's go."

"…You guys go ahead, I'll stay for a bit," Daniel said, watching as Zuko and his uncle talked quietly. Jack arched an eyebrow, but knew by now that protesting was probably futile. He, Teal'c, and Sam left and entered the main chamber.

Daniel, meanwhile, slowly moved towards Zuko and his Uncle.

"It is time for you to make the right choice," Iroh was saying. "It's time to choose good."

"He's got a point," Daniel agreed quietly. Both turned to face him, Iroh arching an eyebrow. Before anything else could be said, however, another explosion sounded, this time from the opposite wall. Two men, their eyes hidden by Korean-style straw hats, and dressed in black and green, slid down a shallow slope, thrusting their hands forward and imprisoning Daniel and Iroh in several of the Jade crystals surrounding the wall.

Behind them, a young woman strolled in, she too dressed in green and black. She bore a strange resemblance to Zuko, though her hair was much longer than his and was tied up in an angular topknot.'

"How interesting," she said, looking up at Daniel. "You had a visitor, Zuzu."

Daniel mentally snorted. "_Zuzu"?!_

"I wonder how he got in here? I don't recall arresting him."

"To be honest, I have no clue how I got here either," Daniel admitted, struggling against the tightly binding crystals.

The woman scoffed. "That I doubt… Well, I expected something like this from Uncle… But you, Zuko?! Prince Zuko… You are many things, but you are not a traitor. Are you?"

"Release them at once!" Zuko demanded.

"I don't think so," she responded. "Zuko, you have an opportunity here… to return home with your honour. If you join me, I can get Father to forgive you. You can have your lost honour back."

"Don't listen to her, Zuko!" Iroh protested, struggling as well. "She's trying to trick you!"

"Stay out of this, Uncle," The woman snapped. "It's his choice… Me, or the Avatar. Father… or the Avatar." She moved to leave, gesturing her two bodyguards to follow her. "I'll leave you be. It's your choice. Choose as you desire." She did indeed leave, with the two men in tow. Daniel grimaced and tried to squeeze his hand through the crystals binding his wrist, figuring that they were too tough to break through brute strength.

"Zuko," he said, still struggling to free a hand, "I know we barely know each other, but… believe me when I say that this war isn't going to solve anything. Perpetuating it… only causes more pain."

"He's right, Nephew," Iroh said. "The war has gone on long enough. Azula only wants to cause more pain."

"I know," Zuko responded, solemnly. "The Avatar's friend… Katara… when we were stuck here, she… ranted about how she'd always thought of me as the enemy… Said that… that causing pain and destruction was in my blood… and… it actually hurt. I've seen some of the pain Father has caused, and… it needs to stop."

A smile ghosted across Daniel's face before turning into a grimace of pain as he finally managed to wriggle his right hand out of one of the crystal rings. He seized his pistol, aimed carefully so he wouldn't hit his own wrist, and fired, shattering the other ring binding his left hand. He then freed himself from the rest of his bindings.

"So you're siding with Aang," Daniel stated quietly.

"In spirit."

Both Daniel and Iroh looked somewhat surprised. Zuko seemed determined.

"I have a plan."

* * *

Outside in the main cavern, a fight between Aang and Katara and the young woman who had jumped Daniel, Azula, had broken out. As Daniel hurried out of their former prison, he saw Azula flinging lightning at Aang, who dodged easily on a ball constructed of air. Katara, her hair unraveling from its braid, lifted some of the water from the canal and flung it at Azula like a whip. Azula barely dodged, the water sheering off some of her hair. 

Jack, Teal'c, and Sam knelt on a high ridge, trying to cover for Aang, but didn't seem to be able to get any blows in edgewise. All three were moving much too fast for them to aim accurately. Daniel activated his Zat and hurried over to them, ducking behind a crystal formation as some of Azula's lightning flew over his head.

"Where's Iroh and the kid?"

"Zuko? He's coming. I hope."

Sure enough, moments later, Zuko dashed into the room from the opening Aang had created when he had rescued them. He was wearing only trousers, boots, and a sleeveless top. He leapt, fire exploding from his hands and feet and striking just near Azula. He landed near the three, in a ready stance, his eyes darting between his sister and Aang.

Then he turned around and attacked Aang.


	4. Chapter 3

_**Through the Looking Glass, Part I: Becoming  
**__**Chapter 3**_

"_It's like I'm paranoid  
__Looking over my back  
__It's like a whirlwind inside of my head  
__It's like I can't stop what I'm hearing within  
It's like the face inside is right—  
__Beneath my skin_"  
—"Papercut", Linkin Park

Aang buckled, barely avoiding the fire Zuko had shot at him. Azula smirked and promptly resumed her assault of Katara, while Zuko fought Aang.

"…Why did he do that?" Sam asked, numbly. "From the sound of things… I thought he would join Aang and Katara…"

Daniel didn't say a word. He only shifted his Zat to try and aim at Azula. He fired, only to have her dodge out of the way. The blast hit some jade crystals and shattered them.

Azula twisted in their direction, then snarled quietly. "Dai Li! Get those four out of here!" She commanded. At that moment, more of the men in green in black descended upon them. Jack turned his rifle on them and fired, taking several out at once. Teal'c fended off several more, knocking them from their ridge with his staff weapon.

The fight between Zuko and Aang was heating up rapidly, although after Zuko hit Aang once he strangely ceased to attack him directly, instead focusing on his surroundings. He still had Aang on the run, however, and after Azula managed to knock Katara aside, Aang was forced to retreat behind some jade crystals, which he pulled around himself like a shield. For a few moments, everything was still, as Azula and Zuko stood in ready stances, facing the group of crystals.

As Daniel watched the jade crystals for some sign of what Aang was trying to do, something abruptly clawed its way into his mind, causing pain to split at his forehead once more. He dropped his Zat and clutched at his temples, grimacing.

"Daniel? Are you okay?" Sam asked.

"Sam…" He managed to get out, before blacking out completely.

* * *

It happened in a flash. Aang abruptly erupted from the group of crystals, his eyes and tattoos glowing pure white. But at the same time, Daniel's eyes also glowed white, and he slowly lowered his hands from his forehead. Zuko's eyes slid to the side briefly and suddenly widened as he caught sight of Daniel, bathed in white light and beginning to rise from the ground on which he knelt. Sam, Jack, and Teal'c appeared awestruck.

Lightning flashed, and Aang plummeted from the air; Katara leapt to her feat and rushed to catch him. Daniel went berserk when that happened, swinging his arms upward and causing the water to rise from the canals and drown the Dai Li agents. Zuko and Azula managed to get out of the way in time, but both seemed to be panicking. Daniel then called up a torrent of fire and flung it at Azula, who blocked it and slid backwards. Another barrage quickly followed the first, but missed as Zuko diverted it out of the way.

Iroh appeared quite abruptly, just as the glow faded around Daniel and he fell back to the ground. Iroh shot another burst of flame at Azula, shielding Aang and Katara from her.

"Get out of here!" He shouted at them. "Go! I'll cover you!"

"Major, come on!" Katara shouted to Sam, jerking her head to indicate that they should follow her. Jack hoisted an unconscious Daniel over his shoulders and hurried down the ridge with Teal'c and Sam in tow. Katara quickly moved the water beneath her to rocket them up and out of the cave. They were picked up by Sokka and Toph riding atop Appa, with a large brown bear and a man in rich green and yellow robes with small round spectacles perched on his nose in tow.

Katara laid Aang down and quietly reached into her blue robes, pulling out a small vial of clear liquid. Daniel, meanwhile, dazedly awoke, his eyes back to their normal blue.

"…What happened? Why aren't we in the cave anymore? …Where's…"

Katara gathered the water in the vial into her hand and laid it over the wound on Aang's back. For a moment it didn't seem to work, and she sobbed and hugged him. Then the arrow atop Aang's head flashed and he woke up.

_This is just like my dream,_ Daniel realized as he watched Katara sob again, this time in relief.

The bespectacled man glanced back at the retreating city, surrounded by two walls, and said, quietly, and sadly, "The Earth Kingdom has fallen."

* * *

They flew for what seemed like hours until they finally came to rest south of what Daniel could only assume had been Ba Sing Se. They were all exhausted, bloodied, and upset as they set up camp, but nobody said anything. Finally, they all settled around the campfire to eat before going to sleep. It was a long time before anyone spoke.

"One of us should keep watch," Jack said, quietly. "We could've been followed."

"We're all exhausted, Colonel," Toph remarked. "And I'm blind."

"We can take turns. There's… what, nine of us? Since you're blind, that's eight who can keep watch. Two of us take a two hour shift while the others sleep, then wake up the next pair."

The others glared at Jack.

"It's better than getting ambushed," Daniel added, quietly.

Everyone was silent for a moment.

"I'll take watch with Dr. Jackson," Katara said, quietly.

"No arguments here," Daniel responded.

The others paired off, and Katara and Daniel took first watch while the others caught some sleep. They were both silent for a long time, watching the fire crackle, before Katara finally spoke.

"Dr. Jackson… back there in the cave… Something happened to you…"

"I blacked out," Daniel answered, softly.

"I figured that, but… Well, it's a phenomenon called the Avatar State."

"…The Avatar State?"

"Yeah, it's when the Avatar is at his most powerful. If he hasn't mastered it, he loses all sense of self and control while he's in it. But that's just the thing, Aang is the Avatar, and only he should be able to enter it. In the cave… you entered the Avatar State exactly when Aang did."

Daniel raised both eyebrows looking incredulous. Katara elaborated.

"When Aang enters the Avatar state, his eyes and arrow tattoos glow white. He's just learned how to master it, and he voluntarily entered it in the cave… When he did that, your eyes glowed white as well and you started barraging Zuko and Azula with fire and water. Only the Avatar can control more than one Element, but you can't be him."

Daniel frowned. "That's a good point… I have no idea why that happened…" He glanced over at Sam, who was sleeping soundly under a thin blanket, with her pack tucked under her head. "…Wait a second," he said, a thought striking him as he laid eyes on the astrophysicist. "We're not from your world."

"…So?"

"So what if our world has an Avatar too? That could explain it…" He stopped as he realized what he was saying. "My God… that would mean that… I'm Earth's Avatar…" He grasped his forehead, perplexed. "I'll… I'll have to run it by Sam in the morning, but it's the only explanation I can think of."

They fell silent, and the reality of the thing began to set in. Yes, it was the only explanation, but it was still huge. And, according to Katara, impossible.

Yet, if it was possible, that meant that a huge burden had just been thrust onto Daniel's shoulders. He felt like Atlas, carrying the entire planet on his shoulders.

After a few minutes, Katara broke the silence.

"…Your world is called 'Earth'?"

"Heh, yeah. There are other names for it, so I should probably use one of those… Either the Goa'uld 'Tau'ri' or Latin 'Terra' should work…"

Katara glanced askance at Aang. "I'm not sure how Aang's going to react to this. It'll probably feel really weird to him, he's used to being the only one to bear his burden."

"We'll tell him in the morning," Daniel said softly. "Let him sleep."

* * *

Morning finally arrived several hours later. Jack and Sokka shook the others awake and then started packing up camp; they knew they had to keep moving lest they be found.

Daniel talked to Sam for a moment while they were gathering their stuff together. When she affirmed his suspicions, Daniel gave Katara a small nod. Katara then pulled Aang aside and broke the news to him. Daniel watched out of the corner of his eye and gave Aang a small, sad smile when Aang turned to stare at him, wide-eyed. Daniel then told the others about his and Katara's discussion. Everyone stopped dead in their tracks.

"WHAT?!" Toph and Sokka shouted in unison. Jack and Sam stared at Daniel, wide-eyed.

"That's impossible!" Sokka exclaimed, dropping his back in surprise. "There's only one Avatar, and that's Aang!"

"But Jack, Sam, Teal'c, and I come from an alternate reality," Daniel said.

"Uh, actually, Daniel, we come from an alternate universe," Sam corrected, gently. "Alternate reality only implies a change in the events that occurred during the course of history. An alternate universe implies a change in physics or biology, or similar factors, as well as a change in history."

"Yadda yadda," Jack said, rolling his eyes. "That means… what?"

Sam blinked. "It means that… it's entirely possible that our universe has an Avatar of its own. Which means that it could very well be Daniel. The odds are… astronomical, but…"

"Maybe it's on a planet-by-planet basis," Daniel amended. "And it's still only a possibility. Either way, it's the only explanation I can think of, given last night's events."

"Whoa, wait," Sokka interjected. "What happened to Daniel in that cave?"

"He entered the Avatar State at the exact moment Aang did," Katara responded, softly. Sokka's eyes went wide.

Daniel frowned again. "I'm not sure how I could've gone so long without figuring out something like this… I'm thirty-eight years old and I didn't have a clue."

"Yeah, but, people on Earth don't exactly believe in this sort of thing," Jack said, pulling on his jacket.

"…Point. It's entirely possible that the Avatar has existed for the entire history of humanity, but we haven't known it, and his potential has gone completely unrealized."

"We need to get going," Aang said, abruptly. "We have to keep moving. They'll find us."

"It appears someone has already found us," Teal'c replied, softly.

A rustling sounded in the bushes nearby. Before anyone could say another word, Zuko stumbled out of the brush, sweaty, covered in cuts, his clothes torn in several places, and leading Iroh behind him.

"Help… me…" He said, hoarsely, before passing out cold.


	5. Chapter 4

_**Through the Looking Glass, Part I: Becoming  
**__**Chapter 4**_

"_So afraid to open your eyes—hypnotized  
__You know you're not the only one  
__Never understood this life  
__And you're right I don't deserve  
__But you know I'm not the only one_

_We're all grieving  
__Lost and bleeding"  
_—"The Only One", Evanescence

Weapons were drawn in an instant. Iroh lifted both hands into the air, smiling sheepishly. Daniel hurried forward, frantically, standing in between the others and Iroh.

"Daniel, get out of the way," Jack said, sounding irritated.

"No."

"Dr. Jackson, he attacked Aang!" Katara shouted, pointing at the prone Zuko. "Why are you protecting him?!"

"It wasn't what you thought," Daniel insisted, quietly.

"What the Hell is that supposed to mean?" Jack snapped.

Daniel glanced back at Iroh. "I was there when Azula tried to get him to betray you. Afterwards, we talked for a few minutes. Zuko wanted to help you guys, and he thought that the best way he could do that was by getting on Azula's good side and taking her down. But he had to make sure everyone thought—or acted like—he had actually betrayed Aang."

Sam frowned. "When I was in the cave, and I asked why Zuko hadn't joined us… It looked like you wanted to say something, but…"

"But I didn't," Daniel finished. "I had to make sure you thought he had actually betrayed them."

Iroh nodded. "He was found out. He came to talk to me. Apparently Azula didn't trust him completely; she had her friend Ty Lee follow Zuko. Ty Lee overheard our conversation… we had mentioned our plan, and she reported it back to Azula. Azula promptly attacked me and Zuko. We barely escaped with our lives."

The others looked at each other incredulously.

"…Daniel isn't in the habit of defending someone without a good reason to do so," Jack said, finally. "And he's no fool. Most of the time when we've been in question about someone, he's been right about them."

"Well no offense, but, we just met you guys," Sokka said. "How do we know we can trust you? I mean, you seem okay, but… We've been fooled before."

"Iroh has shown that he wants to help you," Daniel responded, quietly. "But I realize that Zuko's actions make his intentions questionable… What it comes down to is choices. Invariably, there's an easy choice, and there's a right choice. The easy thing to do here would be to simply tell yourself that Zuko will never change, and refuse to help him. If you do that, he'll probably die. What do you think the right thing to do is?"

There was a moment of silence. Aang sighed. "Get him on Appa's back. Iroh… come on."

Daniel exhaled, knelt, and hoisted Zuko over his shoulders. He then climbed onto Appa's back and laid Zuko down before helping Iroh up. The rest of the group finished packing and joined them. Appa then took off at Aang's command.

Daniel dug into his pack, pulled out a first aid kit, and began treating the cuts on Zuko's face. Sam helped him, though he knew she wasn't very good at first aid in the first place. As Sam started to dab isopropyl alcohol on a cut near his right eye, Zuko winced and opened his eyes.

"…Dr. Jackson?"

"Feeling better?"

"…Not really."

Daniel chuckled. "Your uncle says you were found out."

Zuko shut his eyes and winced again as Sam rubbed alcohol on another cut on his chin. "I was careless. OW!"

"Sorry," Sam apologized, quietly. "I know it stings. It's supposed to."

"…What's it for?"

"It's so the cuts won't get infected," Daniel told him.

"…Where are we?"

"Not sure. Getting as far away from Ba Sing Se as possible, that's for sure."

* * *

"As far away from Ba Sing Se as possible" turned out to be a small village several hundred miles away from Ba Sing Se. They landed on the outskirts in a small wooded area, being careful to stay hidden.

Daniel spotted a marker on the road just outside the woods and slunk over to it. The Chinese characters "Lu Men" were carved into it. _Green Gate_, he thought.

"Daniel, come on," Sam called. Daniel hurried back over to the camp. Everyone was off of Appa's back and gathered in a small circle. Zuko leaned against a tree, holding his side, which was where his most severe injury was located. A throwing dagger had been imbedded there, which Daniel and Sam removed before treating the cut.

"Okay, let's get one thing straight," Sokka said, promptly, glaring at Zuko. "We don't trust you."

"I'd expect no less," Zuko responded, quietly. "And I'm not asking you to trust me right away. I just… Give me a chance. I want to help."

"We gave you that chance when we decided to help you," Aang answered. "Mess things up and it'll probably be the last thing you do."

Zuko nodded solemnly.

"There's still the question of Daniel," Sam said.

Iroh glanced over in Daniel's direction. "You showed some of the same abilities as the Avatar in that cave. You entered the Avatar State and used both Water and Fire to attack Azula."

"I don't remember any of it," Daniel responded.

"You wouldn't," Aang said quietly. "You wouldn't have been yourself. I've learned how to control it, so I can enter and leave it at will now, and be perfectly aware of my actions while I'm in it. If you are another Avatar, and haven't had any training… You won't be aware of what's going on around you when you're in the Avatar State."

"How will we know, though?" Daniel asked, frowning.

"We test you," Aang responded, standing. "Lead you through some basics in each of the four Bending Arts. First Waterbending, then Earth, Fire, and Air. If you can control all four… then you probably are."

"Alright, but… we should test the rest of my friends too," Daniel said. "They might be able to control one of the Elements too."

"Are you serious, Daniel?" Sam asked, incredulously. "I kind of doubt it."

"Yeah, well, you're a skeptic, Sam," Daniel retorted, a teasing note in his voice. "You've never believed in this sort of thing."

Sam rolled her eyes but didn't say anything in retort.

"Also, you guys are gonna stick out like sore thumbs dressed like that," Aang pointed out, gesturing to their uniforms.

"…He's got a point," Sam conceded, though she looked very unhappy at the prospect of dressing in local attire. Daniel didn't blame her, given the last time she'd had to do so, she'd been kidnapped and sold as a slave.

"We can't use our weapons either," Daniel added. "We're trying to keep a low profile. The most you guys have in the way of projectile weapons would probably be bows and arrows, right?"

"And catapults," Iroh added.

"Trebuchets?" Daniel inquired. Iroh nodded.

"My staff weapon can be used in close combat," Teal'c said, softly.

Daniel nodded. "You'll be fine, then. The rest of us have training in other forms of combat." When Jack and Sam looked at him oddly, he added, "I took Kendo in college. If I can find a katana, I'll be able to defend myself."

"There should be a weaponsmith in town," Toph said. "Most Earth Kingdom villages have one."

"We don't have any money."

"We'll find a way to pay for it," Katara responded, quietly. "We should go ahead and head into town, find some clothes for you guys. Maybe weapons."

"I'll go with you. I want to actually have a say in what I wear this time," Sam said. Daniel chuckled.

"I'll come too," Daniel added. "Call it… cultural interest." At this, Jack rolled his eyes but grinned anyway.

With some effort, Zuko pushed himself to his feet. "I'm coming."

Katara eyed him suspiciously.

"I'll help Dr. Jackson find a katana he can use," Zuko told her quietly. "I'll stay well within sight."

Katara eyed him apprehensively, then sighed. "Okay. No sudden moves."

Zuko gave her a short nod. He started to move towards Appa, but Daniel stopped him.

"Don't, you'll hurt yourself. What do you need?"

Zuko grimaced. "There's a brown and gold sheath containing two broadswords up there. Just… in case there's trouble." Daniel nodded and climbed onto Appa's back, rooting through the group's gathered belongings until He uncovered the sheath Zuko had described. He held it up.

"This it?"

"Yeah."

Daniel climbed down and passed the sheath to Zuko, who slung it over his shoulder. Daniel and Sam removed the vests and leg holsters from their uniforms so they would look slightly less suspicious; however, Daniel tucked one of his pistols into the belt of his trousers and hid it beneath his jacket. He gave the other to Sam, who did the same.

"Is it really necessary to go armed?" Katara asked, nervously.

"We can't be too careful," Sam responded quietly. Katara sighed and nodded.

"Okay, let's get going."

* * *

Lu Men was a small, quiet town. There weren't many residents out in the main square, but the few who were there stared at Daniel and Sam as they entered the area. Daniel and Sam lingered behind as Katara asked where they might find some clothes and the local blacksmith.

"Blacksmith's on the northern edge of the town, and there's a merchant who sells clothing and food on the western edge of the market square," the man she was talking to told Katara. Katara thanked him and walked back over to them.

"Looks like we're going to have to split up," she said, sighing. "Blacksmith's in another part of the town from the merchant selling food and clothing. However, I'd rather not leave Zuko unaccompanied."

Zuko rolled his eyes but said nothing.

"I'm going with Katara," Sam stated instantly.

Katara scrutinized Daniel. "Can I trust you to keep Zuko in line?" She asked.

"Sure thing," Daniel answered, laughing a little.

"Okay then." She glared at Zuko. "One wrong move and I'll encase you in solid ice," she told him.

"You know I'd just melt through it, right?"

"Not if I get Toph to add some rock to the equation."

Zuko made an odd noise but decided not to retort.

"Blacksmith's on the north edge of town. We'll meet back here in, say… two hours?"

Daniel nodded and the four split up, Zuko going with Daniel to the north and Sam and Katara heading west.

After about a minute Daniel had started squinting, trying to both clear his blurry vision and keep the glaring sun out of his eyes. Finally, he sighed and reached into a pocket, stopping for a moment to put in the spare pair of contact lenses he kept in case his glasses were broken or lost. Zuko paused beside him.

"You okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, just putting something in my eyes to help me see properly… I can't see things that are too far away very clearly." He blinked rapidly, a reflex reaction to putting the contacts in. They settled into place and Daniel's surroundings came into focus. "There, that's better." He started walking again, Zuko following suit. There was a moment of silence before Zuko spoke again.

"Explain something to me."

"What's up?"

"You and the others come… from another world, right?"

"Yeah."

"How did you get here?"

"Didn't Sam explain that?"

"She started to, but…"

"Ahhh, she started getting into the technobabble."

"…Techno…babble?"

"She started babbling about the technology behind the idea, right?"

"Yeah."

"All you really need to know about it is that we used a large, circular gateway called the Stargate. Essentially it allows us to travel to other worlds almost instantly. The rest is really complicated and hard to understand if you're not Sam."

"So you do this for a living?"

Daniel nodded. "All four of us do. It's dangerous but pretty damn satisfying."

Zuko nodded. The rest of the walk was spent in silence. Finally, they came upon a building with smoke billowing out of a hole in the roof.

"Blacksmith," Daniel noted. "C'mon."

The blacksmith's shop had almost every kind of oriental-style weapon Daniel could think of; katanas, longswords, naginatas, and many other weapons all lined the walls of the store, many with intricate detail worked into the metal. Daniel wandered among the blades, looking at them in wonder. Finally, he came across a katana with dragons etched into the _tsuba_(1) that caught his eye. Its wooden sheath was made of a dark, reddish wood. He crouched, gently running a hand along it. Behind him, Zuko stated, "Dragons. I didn't think the Earth Kingdom smithies used that sort of imagery…"

"Help ya?" A gruff voice asked behind them, and Daniel quickly stood and faced the owner of the store.

"Uh, yeah, I was wondering… how much would this katana cost?" Daniel gestured at the sword he had been looking at.

"That? That one's one of my favourites. Won't let it go for any less than three hundred gold pieces. Earth Kingdom money only," he sneered.

Zuko flinched. "I don't have that much. Two hundred I might've been able to afford," he whispered to Daniel. Daniel frowned, looking over his shoulder back at the Katana. Something struck him as odd, and he knelt again, looking at the sheath more closely.

"…It's scuffed," he noted.

"What?"

"The sheath is scuffed. It wouldn't be if this were brand new."

Zuko frowned, examining the sheath as well. "He's right. It is. The hilt shows signs of use as well." He brushed his hand over the frayed wrap. A realization dawned on him. "…And the Earth Kingdom doesn't use dragon imagery; the Fire Nation does." He stood again. "This sword is stolen, isn't it?" Zuko demanded.

The smithy's face twisted in anger. "GET OUT!" He shouted.

"No." Zuko drew his swords and brandished them at the blacksmith. "Who did you steal that katana from?!"

A bead of sweat slowly dripped down the smithy's face. "A Fire Nation soldier who fell near here. They're all scum, and he wasn't needing it anymore. I wasn't the one who took it though… one of the local soldiers did. He thought I could sell it for a good price, so he gave it to me! I swear that's it!"

Zuko's lip curled, and he backed up and lifted the katana from its perch. "I'm taking it. You have no right to it."

The blacksmith sneered. "What are you going to do with it? Give it back to the Fire Nation?"

"That's none of your concern." Zuko snapped in return. "Let's go, Dr. Jackson."

"But—!"

Zuko silently grabbed Daniel's arm and dragged him away. Daniel put up a half-assed resistance, but didn't object much other than that. When they were clear of the blacksmith's shop, Zuko let go. Daniel frowned at him.

"That was unnecessary," he said quietly.

"He stole it from one of our soldiers," Zuko snarled quietly.

"I know why you did it, but… two wrongs don't make a right," Daniel told him, hesitantly resorting to the cliché.

"Don't lecture me, I get enough of that from Uncle," Zuko resonded, a dangerous note to his voice.

"Aang and his friends won't let you stick around if you keep this up, though," Daniel said. "They don't trust you as it is. You shouldn't be doing anything to make that worse."

Zuko prepared to retort as they returned to the town square, but sighed, and said, "You're right." He offered the katana to Daniel, who accepted it with a half smile.

"Don't do it again."

"I won't."

Katara and Sam were waiting for them in the town square, each of them carrying a pair of folded-up clothing.

"How'd it go?" Sam asked.

"We found a suitable sword," Daniel said, showing it to Sam. Sam "Oohed" and leaned in to look at it more closely.

"We should get out of here," Katara said. "No point in staying too much longer."

Nodding, the group hurried out of town and back to the camp.

* * *

"Aww, come on, Carter," Jack called out to Sam, who was currently hiding behind a bush in her new clothes. He tugged at his own new outfit, a grey-brown tunic and trousers. "We're all embarrassed."

"I look silly!" Sam objected. Her face, poking out above the bush, was beet-red.

"What's with her?" Aang whispered to Daniel, who was dressed in an ankle-length green tunic with gold trim, belted at the waist with a dark gold sash. His new katana was stuck in the sash, along with a small, ivory pocket dagger he'd found among his belongings. He hadn't remembered packing it, but dismissed that fact and took the chance to have an extra weapon.

"The last time she was forced to wear local attire, she wore a blue dress and veil that she absolutely despised," Daniel whispered. "She was hesitant to show herself then too. That was nearly six years ago, too."

Katara sighed and attempted to coax Sam out from behind the bush. "Major, you picked out that outfit yourself."

Sam hesitated, then rose, revealing her outfit to be a long, pale green dress with short sleeves and slits in the sides for ease of movement. She wore dark grey trousers underneath it, along with the combat boots from her uniform.

Jack whistled appreciatively. "Niiiiice."

Sam shot him an icy look.

"You look great, Sam," Daniel told her, smiling.

Sam, still red in the face, sat down beside the campfire.

"So what now?" Jack asked.

"Now we see if any of you are Benders," Aang said. "And if Daniel is really a second Avatar. We'll guide you through the basics of each of the Bending arts, starting with Water. Katara will do that with you guys, then Toph will practice some Earthbending with you. Iroh will help you with Firebending, and then I'll do Airbending."

They nodded apprehensively.

"So… Water first?" Daniel said.

"Yeah," Katara confirmed. "Ready?"

"Now's as good as any time," Jack said, after a moment. "Let's do this."

* * *

**(1) Tsuba** - The guard of a Katana


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N:** The next few chapters are going to be… weird, chronologically. Each of the next four chapters (including this one) is based on the Elements. So, this chapter (Chapter 5) is Water, Chapter 6 is Earth, 7 is Fire, and 8 is Air. The first part of each chapter is the tests SG-1 went through, and the second part constitutes part of their training. So they timeline's jumbled up a bit here. Was that clear enough? Hope it was. -DJP

_**Through the Looking Glass, Part I: Becoming  
**__**Chapter 5**_

"_Oh darkness, oh rain  
__Teach me now  
__Oh moon, oh wind  
__Answer me now  
__Far...So far...in the distance, far away.  
__At the end of my journey, what is there?_"  
—"Midnight Blue", Megumi Hayashibara (Translated from Japanese)

Katara rose from her seat at the campfire, pulled off her boots, and rolled up the legs of her trousers. She gestured for SG-1 to do the same; at Sam's quizzical look, she stated, "We're going into the river shallows, and getting your pants wet is probably a bad idea."

With no further argument, SG-1 took off their boots and rolled up their trouser legs before wading out into the shallows of the river after Katara.

"Okay," Katara said, turning to face SG-1, "spread out a bit more. You don't want to hit each other." They did. "Put your left foot straight forward, right foot backwards and to the side a bit…"—she demonstrated—"…like this." SG-1 awkwardly followed suit; Jack nearly toppled into Sam while attempting to position his right leg. Katara giggled and corrected their stances, then continued. "Raise your hands, palms forward." She demonstrated again, raising her hands gracefully so they were out in front of her chest, palms facing forward. "We're going to do a very simple movement, essentially pushing and pulling the water. It's the very core of Waterbending." She slowly pulled her hands in and rocked back so her weight was on her hind leg, then pushed her hands forward again, leaning her weight back onto her front leg. The water around her ankles began moving in time to her own movements. Soon it had gathered into a wave of sorts in front of her.

SG-1 followed her movements, again awkwardly. Teal'c and Jack had nothing to show for it; the river water simply refused to obey them. Daniel and Sam, on the other hand, soon had their own miniature waves gathering in front of them.

Katara had stopped leading them and was watching the group. Jack soon gave up, and Teal'c stopped shortly after Jack did. Sam and Daniel continued working, both zoned out a bit, caught up in the repetition of the movements.

"You've got it, Major!" Katara exclaimed.

Sam snapped back into reality when Katara addressed her, saw that she was Waterbending, screamed, and leapt back. The water she had been manipulating fell back into place, continuing its normal trek down the river.

Katara chuckled and turned to Daniel, who was perfectly immersed in his own Waterbending. He had pulled a stream of water around his body and was starting to twist it into various shapes.

"Dr. Jackson, you can stop now," Katara noted.

Daniel opened his eyes and let the water drop back into the river. "Oh. Sorry. Got caught up in the moment."

"That's fine, Dr. Jackson, but we're done. Well, with the Waterbending, at any rate."

"Well I didn't get anything done," Jack said, flopping down on the river bank.

"I did not produce any results either," Teal'c stated.

Katara nodded. "Therefore, neither of you are Waterbenders. Major Carter and Dr. Jackson were both Bending, however, so that's one of four for Dr. Jackson."

"So, that means…" Sam began, faintly.

"You're a Waterbender," Aang, who had been observing silently until now, told her, grinning.

Sam remained silent for a moment before letting her head hit the trunk of nearby tree.

* * *

More than a week later, as the group moved farther south and west through the Earth Kingdom, Zuko found himself watching Sam, Daniel, and Katara training in a stream. He had never truly observed Waterbending when it was used outside of combat, and now that he could, watching the three training was positively mesmerizing.

Daniel had proved to be a faster learner; he was far ahead of Sam in their lessons, a fact that made Sam somewhat jealous of him.

"It's amazing to watch, isn't it?" Iroh noted behind Zuko. He started as Iroh seated himself beside his nephew. Zuko nodded.

"It's so different from Firebending."

"Naturally. They are opposite arts. Where Firebending is intense and strenuous, Waterbending is meant to be calm and soothing."

Zuko watched as Daniel performed a rather complicated move and accidentally doused Sam with water.

"DANIEL!" Sam shouted.

"Oops?" Daniel said, looking sheepish.

Katara giggled at the pair and tried to get them back on track as the two started attempting to splash each other. Zuko snorted.

"Come, Nephew," Iroh said, placing a hand on Zuko's shoulder. "Your wounds have healed enough for you to resume training, I think."

Zuko nodded and stood, following his uncle to another area of the camp to continue his own training.


End file.
